These guidelines cover the business of Formal Meetings in IRSA (including the General Assembly) and in the EC, where proposals are specified by the agenda, may not otherwise be freely introduced, and amendments to the proposals on the agenda are not discussed but referred if they obtain majority support.

These guidelines cover the day-to-day business of the EC "in committee", where proposals may be made at any time that a proposer feels appropriate, and where discussion and voting take place through asynchronous electronic communication.

A number of documents provide rules and guidelines for the conduct of business in IRSA and IRSA committees and sub-committees. The intention of this document on "Decorum" is to provide some guidelines, not provided in these other documents, on how IRSA wishes to do business and thus on how IRSA Officers and supporters should go about IRSA business.

These guidelines cover internal EC elections, such as the election of an official IRSA Representative at an international event, or the election of the chairman of an ad hoc committee. The guidelines may also be used by committees and sub-committees of the EC.

Officer Holders retain the copyright to their Work while holding office, and IRSA requires every Office Holder to licence their Work to IRSA.

Disciplinary matters may arise in two areas, concerning matters either within or outside IRSA Meetings.